Gothenburg is growing. There is a need to ensure that the transportation system functions. The
city has ambitions of promoting cycling and other sustainable modes of transport. Two goals
have been set for cycling. The number of cyclists should increase by three times and 75% of
the people in Gothenburg should think that the city is a cycling friendly city by 2025. The
purpose of this thesis is to investigate how cycling policies are implemented in Gothenburg. A
theoretical framework of two orientations of implementation theory is used. The
implementation theories are named top-down and bottom-up. Opportunities and barriers for
successful policy implementation have been investigated. They are based on the city’s strategic
documents and interviews performed with politicians, officials and managers working for the
municipality, and a cycling activist from a cycling interest group. Using a top-down lens,
strategic documents have been analysed as a way of understanding how policies are supposed
to be implemented. Thematic areas have been identified from the interviews and analysed in
relation to the strategic documents. This method has allowed the combination of the two
orientations of implementation theory.
The results show that the implementation process for cycling measures is mainly run by
individual actors. Cycling is not integrated in the strategic city planning. Difficulties seem to
arise when urban space is to be reallocated from the car to the bicycle. The goal of the city is to
increase all of the sustainable modes of transport, i.e. walking, cycling, and public
transportation. Local individual actors focus on different transport modes, which invites for
conflicts when prioritizations are to be made. Moreover, common strategies and visions for
cycling are lacking between actors within the municipality. They are also lacking between
municipal and non-municipal actors.
The analysis show that the implementation process is guided by the city’s strategic documents
containing goals, measures, strategies, and principles. This can be regarded as a top-down
structure. Moreover, laws and regulations, existing knowledge, support of interest groups and
sovereigns, is further part of the top-down base. Bottom-up tendencies identified are projectspecific
solutions. They are produced based on the level of interest and knowledge of planners.
An existing cycling group and individual officials gather inspiration and knowledge from other
cities and share knowledge. They do so both internally at the Urban Transport Administration
and externally, in cycling networks. Furthermore, officials are experimenting with new
measures, in order to change existing regulations. The implementation process is continuously
developed by following-up and evaluating implemented measures.
Several conclusions can be drawn. There is a need to find common visions for all involved
actors. In early processes, cycling should be part of the strategic city planning, rather than being
dependent on individual actors. A continuous political will is necessary locally and nationally
to ensure that cycling is taken seriously. Moreover, the implementation process needs to
continue to be dynamic in order to find new, innovative measures.

BibTeX @mastersthesis{Moysset2018,author={Moysset, Adrien},title={Implementing Local Cycling Policies - Barriers and Success Factors in Gothenburg},abstract={Gothenburg is growing. There is a need to ensure that the transportation system functions. The
city has ambitions of promoting cycling and other sustainable modes of transport. Two goals
have been set for cycling. The number of cyclists should increase by three times and 75% of
the people in Gothenburg should think that the city is a cycling friendly city by 2025. The
purpose of this thesis is to investigate how cycling policies are implemented in Gothenburg. A
theoretical framework of two orientations of implementation theory is used. The
implementation theories are named top-down and bottom-up. Opportunities and barriers for
successful policy implementation have been investigated. They are based on the city’s strategic
documents and interviews performed with politicians, officials and managers working for the
municipality, and a cycling activist from a cycling interest group. Using a top-down lens,
strategic documents have been analysed as a way of understanding how policies are supposed
to be implemented. Thematic areas have been identified from the interviews and analysed in
relation to the strategic documents. This method has allowed the combination of the two
orientations of implementation theory.
The results show that the implementation process for cycling measures is mainly run by
individual actors. Cycling is not integrated in the strategic city planning. Difficulties seem to
arise when urban space is to be reallocated from the car to the bicycle. The goal of the city is to
increase all of the sustainable modes of transport, i.e. walking, cycling, and public
transportation. Local individual actors focus on different transport modes, which invites for
conflicts when prioritizations are to be made. Moreover, common strategies and visions for
cycling are lacking between actors within the municipality. They are also lacking between
municipal and non-municipal actors.
The analysis show that the implementation process is guided by the city’s strategic documents
containing goals, measures, strategies, and principles. This can be regarded as a top-down
structure. Moreover, laws and regulations, existing knowledge, support of interest groups and
sovereigns, is further part of the top-down base. Bottom-up tendencies identified are projectspecific
solutions. They are produced based on the level of interest and knowledge of planners.
An existing cycling group and individual officials gather inspiration and knowledge from other
cities and share knowledge. They do so both internally at the Urban Transport Administration
and externally, in cycling networks. Furthermore, officials are experimenting with new
measures, in order to change existing regulations. The implementation process is continuously
developed by following-up and evaluating implemented measures.
Several conclusions can be drawn. There is a need to find common visions for all involved
actors. In early processes, cycling should be part of the strategic city planning, rather than being
dependent on individual actors. A continuous political will is necessary locally and nationally
to ensure that cycling is taken seriously. Moreover, the implementation process needs to
continue to be dynamic in order to find new, innovative measures.},publisher={Institutionen för teknikens ekonomi och organisation, Science, Technology and Society, Chalmers tekniska högskola},place={Göteborg},year={2018},series={Master thesis. E - Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden, no: E2018:065},keywords={Cycling, Implementation theory, Top-down implementation, Bottom-up implementation, Policy implementation, Sustainable transport},note={81},}

RefWorks RT GenericSR ElectronicID 255069A1 Moysset, AdrienT1 Implementing Local Cycling Policies - Barriers and Success Factors in GothenburgYR 2018AB Gothenburg is growing. There is a need to ensure that the transportation system functions. The
city has ambitions of promoting cycling and other sustainable modes of transport. Two goals
have been set for cycling. The number of cyclists should increase by three times and 75% of
the people in Gothenburg should think that the city is a cycling friendly city by 2025. The
purpose of this thesis is to investigate how cycling policies are implemented in Gothenburg. A
theoretical framework of two orientations of implementation theory is used. The
implementation theories are named top-down and bottom-up. Opportunities and barriers for
successful policy implementation have been investigated. They are based on the city’s strategic
documents and interviews performed with politicians, officials and managers working for the
municipality, and a cycling activist from a cycling interest group. Using a top-down lens,
strategic documents have been analysed as a way of understanding how policies are supposed
to be implemented. Thematic areas have been identified from the interviews and analysed in
relation to the strategic documents. This method has allowed the combination of the two
orientations of implementation theory.
The results show that the implementation process for cycling measures is mainly run by
individual actors. Cycling is not integrated in the strategic city planning. Difficulties seem to
arise when urban space is to be reallocated from the car to the bicycle. The goal of the city is to
increase all of the sustainable modes of transport, i.e. walking, cycling, and public
transportation. Local individual actors focus on different transport modes, which invites for
conflicts when prioritizations are to be made. Moreover, common strategies and visions for
cycling are lacking between actors within the municipality. They are also lacking between
municipal and non-municipal actors.
The analysis show that the implementation process is guided by the city’s strategic documents
containing goals, measures, strategies, and principles. This can be regarded as a top-down
structure. Moreover, laws and regulations, existing knowledge, support of interest groups and
sovereigns, is further part of the top-down base. Bottom-up tendencies identified are projectspecific
solutions. They are produced based on the level of interest and knowledge of planners.
An existing cycling group and individual officials gather inspiration and knowledge from other
cities and share knowledge. They do so both internally at the Urban Transport Administration
and externally, in cycling networks. Furthermore, officials are experimenting with new
measures, in order to change existing regulations. The implementation process is continuously
developed by following-up and evaluating implemented measures.
Several conclusions can be drawn. There is a need to find common visions for all involved
actors. In early processes, cycling should be part of the strategic city planning, rather than being
dependent on individual actors. A continuous political will is necessary locally and nationally
to ensure that cycling is taken seriously. Moreover, the implementation process needs to
continue to be dynamic in order to find new, innovative measures.PB Institutionen för teknikens ekonomi och organisation, Science, Technology and Society, Chalmers tekniska högskola,T3 Master thesis. E - Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, Sweden, no: E2018:065LA engLK http://publications.lib.chalmers.se/records/fulltext/255069/255069.pdfOL 30